Wool-combing machine



(NQ Model.) 5 Sheets-Sheet 1'.

BEST.

WOOL GOMBING MACHINE.

No. 355,296. y Patented Jan. 4, 1887'.

A (Normaal.) l A 5 sheets-,sheet s.

- I. BEST.

WooL GOMBINGMAGHINB.

No.` 355,296; Patented Jan. 4%887.

(No Model.) 5 sheets-sheet 4.l

, I. BEST.

WOOL GOMBING MACHINE. l

Patented Jan. 4, 1887.

. -5 shets-shegt 5. I!l u WOOL GOMBIING MACHINE.

No. 355,296. Patented Jam.v 4, 1887.

SM@ kg elevation showing my auxiliary comb, its car- UNITED STATES PATENT trice.

ISAAC BEST, on LAWRENCE, MASSACHUSETTS.

wooL-CoMBiNG MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 355,296, dated January 4, 1887.

Application tiled January 19, 1865. Serial No. 153,305. (No model.) Patentedin England January 31, 1885, No. 1,407.

To @ZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ISAAC BEST, of Lawrence, inthe county of Essex and State ef Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Vool Combing Machines, which will, in connection with the accompanying drawings, be hereinafter fully described, and specifically denedintheappended claims.

rIhis invention has for its object certain improvements in woolcombing machines, whereof the well-known N oble77 comb is an example, and it is shown in the accompanying drawings, in Connection' with the usual parts I" that comb, and will, in connection with said` drawings, be hereinafter fully described and Claimed.

English Patent No. 2,189, dated June 23, 1873, and granted to Thomas Whitehead and Henry Valton .Whitehead for the invention of improvements in Nobles combing machines,77 representingin the drawings thereof a machine of the class to which my invention relates.

In the drawings, Figure'l is a perspective View, taken as viewed from the interior of the machine, and showing a section thereof with my improvements thereto applied. Fig. 2 is a vertical radial section tak en as on line Z, Fig. l, and showing in elevation all beyond that line as viewed from the right in Fig. l. Fig. 3 is a top or plan view ofthe parts shown in Fig. l. Fig.- 4 is a View similar to Fig. 3, but omitting my improvements, and adding the drawingrolls and eoacting belts. Fig. 5 is a side elevation of my improved incline-bar, by which the sliver-boxes are vertically actuated. Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 5, showing said bar aS heretofore formed. Fig. 7 is a detached rier and returning-spring- Fig. 8 is a detached elevationshowing the cam and lower part of the vibrating lever by which the auX- iliary comb is horizontally reciprocated. Fig. 9 is a detached sectional elevation, the section being taken on a radial line through the large circle-comb, and the elevation showing my auxiliary dabbing-brush and part of the arm by which it is supported and actuated. Fig.

10 is a radial vertical section through the circular bed ofthe machine, and Showing a sliverbox, the sliver and guide, the boX being shown as with its vibrating end resting. on said bed.

Fig. 11. is a view similar to Fig. 10, but Showing the Sliver-box as at 2, on the bar shown in Fig. 5. Fig. 1 2 is a similar View, but showing the sliver-box as resting on said bar at 3. Fig. 13 is also a similar view, but showing the sliver-box as resting on said bar at 4. Fig. li is likewisel a similar view, but showing the sliver-boX as resting at 5 on said bar. Fig. l5

.is a similar view, but showing the sliver-box as resting at 6 on Said bar.

In said drawings, A represents the circular rotating bed on whichthe several sliverboxes B are pivotally mounted in the usual manner,

known manner.

The incline-bar for vertically actuating the sliver-boxes is kshown at d, the same being secured in position by rod e. The usual knives, which raise the Sliver above the teeth in combplate b, are yshown at c, and f represents the guide or cover on which the sliver moves after b eing raised by knives c, till it arrives at the tangential junction of the larger circlecomb plate b and the lesser' circle-comb z'. The usual feeding-plate is' shown at g, supported by arm h.

In my improved machine I arrange the feeding-plate g at a `greater distance than heretofore from the small circle-comb t', and I employ an additional set of knives, (shown at j, Fig. l.) I also form the incline-bar d with the elevations and depressions shown in Fig. 5, instead of with the usual single elevation, 36, as Shown in Fig. 6. I 'further employ an additional dabbing-brush, r, and a reciprocating drawing-comb, Z, said brush and comb being actuated in the manner and bymeans next to be described. The dabbing-brush lois carried by the lever m, having at its outer end the horizontal Slot m', the said brush being provided with a shank, k', having a vertical slot, k2, through which and the slot m passes the attaching-bolt m2, (see Figs. 1 and 2,) so that the'said bolt-has a capability of being ad- ICG justed not only vertically in reference to its the lever vibrates.

proximity to said lever, but laterally with reference to its distance fromthe pivot n, on which Said lever is actuated by pitman p, which is vertically reciprocated by wrist-pin q in crank-disk s, mounted on and driven by arbor t, which also carries pinion u, engaged and driven by gear o, secured 'rier, 8, Fig. 7, to which it is secured by bolts 9,

which pass through slots 10 in the carrier, and are secured in the comb. A spiral spring, 11, is at one end attached to a small stud secured in the carrier and at the other to one of the bolts 9, so as to automatically return the comb to the position shown in said Fig. 7 when liberated from the sliver, which latter, by the rotary movement ofthe comb b,will,when comb Z is engaged therein, move said comb Z coincidently with said comb ZJ. Said combZ has also an automatic rising-and-falling motion, for the purpose of engaging and releasingthe sliver,

and it has also a horizontal reciprocating movement toward and from the comb Z1. This last movement is secured by means of the following devices: An arm, 12, extending from carrier 8, passes through and is supported by bearing 21. It is also pivotally connected with rocking lever 13, pivoted upon stud 14, and carry ing at its lower end a pin, 15, which engages in the groove in the side of cam-disk 16, mounted on and rotated by arbor w, driven as described. This arrangement of devices will, from the form of the cam-groove shown in Fig. 2, impart to comb Z a movement toward and from comb b at each revolution of arbor w.

To impart the rising-andfalling motion to comb Z an eccentric, 17, is also secured on said arbor w, the strap 18 of which is pivotally connected with a stud, 19, rigidly secured to rod 20, which passes through 'and slides i-n bearing 26. Upon the top of said rod 20 is secured thebearing 21 of arm 12 of the described comb carrier 8, and by the rotation of eccentric 17 said rod 20, its cap or bearing 21, and the comb-carrier 8 and comb Zwill be vertically reciprocated to an extent suicient to engage anddisengage teeth 27 with and from the ber in comb Z). The cam 16 and eccentric 17 are so arranged that the rising motion of the comb will occur when it is close to comb b, as shown in Fig. 2, while its falling motion takes place when it is farthest from ZJ, and consequently after it has drawn the ber, which it engages in its rising movement inward to the extent of the described horizontal movement. A fclearer, 22, is attached to and supported by fixed arm 23, it being arranged to slidey lineally thereon by means of a slot in its arm 35 and a bolt passing through the saine into said arm 23. In the arm of said clearer is a pin, 25, between which and arm 23 is arranged the spring 24, secured at its xed end to arm 23, and so arranged as to habitually force clearer' 22 toward the teeth of comb Z, as shown in Fig. 2, yet allowing the clearer to be moved inward by the engagement therewith of the teeth of the comb when it moves inward.

The operation of the machine, when provided with my said improvements, is described as follows: As the slivers respectively pass under feedingplate g their boxes B will pass up over elevation 2 of incline-bar eZ, Fig. 5. rlhis raises the boxes to the position shown in Fig. 1l, and the angle thus produced between the box and bed A by such cha-nge of position of the box from that shown in Fig. 10 serves to increase the length of sliver projecting beyondfthe mouth of the box. As the boxes pass toward the end of feeding-plate g they move down into depression 3 in bar Las shown in Fig. 12, thereby slightly folding between them and said comb Z) the increased length of sliver which resulted from the rise of the boxes at 2' on bar d. As the boxes pass on and the slivers are liberated from the plate g they are raised clear of the teeth of comb b by knives j, and at the same time the boxes are correspondingly raised by elevation 4 of bar d, as shown in Fig. 13, whereby the slivers will by their inherent elastic expansion extend themselves as far inside of comb b as they were extended from the boxes by the rise of the same at elevation 2 of said bar, as shown in Fig. 11. As the boxes next pass down into depression 5 of bar tZ, as shown in Fig. 14, the dabbing-brush k depresses the ber into the teeth of comb b, when comb Z, by its described rising action, will engage the ber thus extending inside comb b, and by the backward movement of said comb Z the short ber or noil,7 as it is termed, will be drawn close to the end of the ber, thereby leaving that portion of the ber between combs Z) and Z cleared and freed from the short ber `or noil. Said comb Z (by its sliding action on its carrier 8, as already de` scribed, and as shown in Fig. 7) travels with the ber as the same is carried along by rotary comb b, and is depressed and cleared therefrom at the moment when it is at the end of its inward movement, and is then returned by the action of its spring 1 1, as before stated. The-length of said comb Z is such that it thus acts several times upon the same ber, and it is provided, as shown in Fig. 7, with sections of ner and coarserteeth, in order that when first acting on the slivers and arranging the longer bers the coarser teeth shall be operative, and when the noil is largely drawn to the end of the slivers and the long bers ar ranged, then the ner teeth shall complete the work. After the ber has been fully acted on by comb Z the boxes mount elevation 6 of bar d, as shown lin Fig. 15, and coincidently therewith the slivers or ber is raised from the teeth of comb b by v clearing-knives c, whence the ber passes onto and/along guide IOO lIO

f, which terminates at the point of nearest approachof combs b and Z, where, as soon as the ber leaves said guide itris sunk into said rotary combs by the usual dabbing-brush, 28, thereby driving the noil, already gathered near the ends of the ber, closely among the teeth of small comb t'. As the slivers are raised clear of comb b by the action of knives c, and the rising of the sliver-boxes upon elevation 6 of bar d, the ber, which by the action of comb Z is somewhat stretched, will retract toward said boxes to an extent to bring the center of that portion which has been cleared by said comb Z at the dividing-line between combs b e', where they most nearly approach each other, and so that said cleared ber will be sunk equally in each of said combs by brush 28. As the combs move on, and part of the separating ber is taken by each, that which remains with and projects inward from comb b is extractedby the drawing-rolls 30 in the usual manner, and is thence carried by belt 3l through belt-guide 32, and thence by belt 34 to drawing-rolls 33, 'where the two slivers reunite and pass on to the usual receptacle, while the noil which had been byreciprocatng comb Z gathered at the.inner end of the slivers, so as to be driven into comb fi, as described, and which there remains while rolls 33 withdraw the long bers by engaging their ends farthest from the nil, is raised by clearing-knives 29 and discharged from the comb.

By the operation of the means added by my invention the long and short ber can be more perfectly separated than has hitherto been practicable with rotary combs, as the noil is gathered by my supplemental comb close to the end, and so as to be sufficiently compacted in the small rotary comb to allow the detached long bers that project from the periphery of the comb to be extracted by the drawing-rolls 33 without dislodging the already-gathered 1ioil,which is afterward discharged, as stated. Besides this, the described action of my reciprocating comb Z is such that the long bers, which project inward from comb b after the separation at combs b Z, are drawn from comb b by rolls 30 more free from the short ber or noil than if my devices were not employed. f

From vthe foregoing it will be apparent that the horizontal inwardand outward movements ofthecomb Z, as well as the. vertical movements thereof, are in right lines, so that the teeth of the said comb are always precisely vertical, and there is therefore no tendency for the s'aid teeth to slip over the ber, or for the latter to become wedged into the base of the comb, as would be the case if thev said comb reciprocated in the arc of a circle.

I claim as my inventionl. rlhe combination, with the rotary combs b and't' and-the sliver-boxes B, of the feeding-platc `(/,knives j, brush k, comb Z, knives c, brush 28, and bar d, having elevation 2, arranged to coact with plate g, the depression 3, arranged between the said plate and knives j, the elevation 4, arranged to coact with the said knives j, the depression 5, to coact with brush lc, and elevation 6, arranged to coact with the knives c, all substantially as set forth.

2. The combination, with the rotary combs b and t' and the sliver-boxes B, of the feedingplate g, arranged inside of the comb b, the knivesj, brush 7c, comb Z, knives c, the guide f, brush 28, and the bar d, having elevation 2, arranged to coact Y with the plate g, the depression 3, arranged between said plate and knives j, the elevation 4, arranged to coact with the said knives j, the depression 5, arranged to coact with the brush k, and eleva` tion 6, arranged to coact with the knives c, all substantially as set forth.

3. The combination, with the rotarycomb b and the sliver-boxes B, of the comb Z, a carrier, as 8, to which the said comb is secured, saidcarrier having an arm, as 12, abearing or guide, as 2l, through which said arm passes, mechanism for operating said arm to reciprocate the comb Z in a right line horizontally,

and mechanism for reciprocating the said bearing or guide vertically, substantially as set forth.

4. The combination, with the rotary comb b andthe sliver-boxes B, of the comb Z, hav? ing teeth at that end thereof which rst engages the ber at a greater distance apart than v the teeth at the other end of the said comb, and mechanism for imparting vertical and horizontal movements in right lines to thesaid vcomb Z, substantially as set forth.

5. The combination, with the rotary comb b, the sliver7boxes, the comb Z, and operating mechanism for the latter, of the clearer 22, its carrying-arm, and a spring for forcing said clearer outward after it has been moved inward by the said comb Z, substantially as set forth.

ISAAC BEST. Witnesses:

J AMEs SPEED,

PETER W. LYALL. 

